Wristwatches are structured with a variety of means for attaching the watchband, that portion which encircles the wrist, to the watch casing. Watch casing, as used herein, refers to that portion which surrounds the face of the watch and which houses the mechanical movement of the watch. All watch casings also provide means, located on either side of the watch face, for attaching the watchband to the casing.
The most conventional means employed in a watch casing for attaching the watchband is a pin positioned between two opposing arm members which extend outwardly from the edge of the casing. In some instances, the pin is stationary and the watchband is looped about the pin and secured upon itself. In such instances, the watchband is a relatively permanent part of the wristwatch and requires more extensive disassembly of the watch to replace the watchband.
In other instances, the pin is either inserted through the extended arms and held in place by screw means, or the pin is spring-biased between the extended arm members. In some embodiments, the pin may be journalled between the extended arm members. In instances where the pin is movable, the watchband is easily removed by either unscrewing the pin from between the arm members or by compressing the spring-biased pin to release it from between the arms. The pin, which is positioned within a loop formed in the watchband, may be removed from the loop and reinserted in another wristband for attachment of the new band to the casing.
Some watch manufacturers have especially designed the casing of the watch to accommodate a reciprocally designed watchband, thereby limiting the types of watchbands which may be used with that particular watch casing. Typically, the watchband and casing are manufactured by the same company. An example of such a reciprocating watch casing and watchband is the "Swatch Watch".RTM. brand of watch made by the Swatch Company of Switzerland.
Today, the watch manufacturing industry has made an effort to provide the consuming public with a variety of choices as to watch casing styles and watchband styles. For example, the Guess.TM. watch has been structured to readily allow the removal and replacement of the watchband so that a consumer may simply change the watchband to suit different clothing styles, different moods, or different color choices.
Recognizing the consumer's desire to exploit the ways and manners in which a wristwatch may be worn, U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,313 to Greer, issued Aug. 9, 1988, discloses a carrier into which a watch casing may be positioned to adapt it for wearing in a variety of ways, including as a lapel pin. The U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,313 also discloses an embodiment of the carrier which provides attachment means at either end thereof for supporting a strap. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,019 to Hirsch, issued Jun. 26, 1990, discloses a template and cutting instrument for modifying a leather or cloth watchband to fit a particularly structured watch casing, such as a Swatch Watch.RTM..
The patented devices referenced above require either placement of the watch casing into a special carrier to adapt it to another means of wearing, or require the destruction of an existing watchband in order to adapt it to that particular watch casing. Such devices, therefore, require a great deal of manipulation or modification and inconvenience to adapt the casing to receive different styles of watchbands suitable to the wearer's liking.
Thus, it would be advantageous in the watch art to provide an adaptor structure which quickly and simply attaches to the watchband securement means of a watch casing to convert the casing from its original design structure for attaching the watchband to a completely different means for attaching a watchband so that a variety of different watchband styles may be used with the watch casing.